Wednesday, 28 August 2013

A new article in Outlook on Agriculture
explores how agronomy has been affected by social change since the
1970s. The science of agronomy informs crucial decisions on development.
It is often seen as a practical, problem-solving field, but like other
areas of study is affected by politics and power.

The authors suggest a 'political agronomy' approach, which takes account of the contestations that can arise around the generation and promotion of new agronomic knowledge and
technology.

From the article:

“…the creation and use of knowledge and technology – which are of
course at the heart of agronomy – are embedded in complex political,
economic and social worlds that are characterized by asymmetric power
relations. In agronomy and agricultural research more broadly, power is
(and has long been) exercised in the framing of problems and the setting
of priorities, through funding decisions, through ‘partnerships’,
through crop variety release procedures and through the peer review and
publication process.”

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